


The Hero's Legacy

by PhantomSorceress



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-10-08 15:26:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10389810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomSorceress/pseuds/PhantomSorceress
Summary: Taking place in the modern world, Locke Hartel, a reincarnation of Link, takes part in an interview that has him piecing together certain memories and events of his life in order to understand the collapse of his friendship with Gage Dragmire, a reincarnation of Ganondorf. At first they were the best of friends and nothing could get between them, however with the arrival of a young maiden named Zelda the trio soon realize they are intertwined in an ancient prophecy that plagues their every thoughts and actions. The prophecy never starts off the same but, regrettably, there is always one certain outcome: Death.





	1. Session 1 Chapter 1: Introductions

The cameras focused on the young boy. He sat on the gray sofa as he fidgeted with his collar. It was a habit he developed since the incident. It has been the first time in months since he agreed to explain the story again. The last time he spoke of it almost everyone from the incident was there. The boy with blonde hair reached for the water bottle provided for him on the table nearby. He uncapped the bottle and greedily drank the refreshing drink. The coolness eased the growing pain in his throat. It was never easy revisiting those memories. Sometimes it was because not all of it was bad. He smiled at one of those easier memories. Just then he heard a click from the white door. A young man entered and greeted the 17-year-old boy. “Hello Locke Hartel” Greeted the man in his 20’s. He extended his hand toward the boy whose blue eyes held an ocean of pain. The boy shook his hand.

“Please.. I prefer the name Link…” he said quietly. The man sat across form him and sat in his own gray sofa. He raised an eye brow.

“Are you sure? Considering the connection with the name I had thought-“

“Look, you wanted a complete interview right?” Interrupted Link. “If you want all the details, I suggest we don’t jump around through the timeline of events…”

“Oh, of course… my apologies… Let me get out the recorder.” With a swift motion, the interviewer pulled out a recorder and placed in on the table between them. Along with that he took out a notebook from his suitcase. Link took another gulp of the free water. It was half empty at this point. The interviewer noticed this and sighed. “We can reschedule if you like... We don’t have to do this now.”

“No, I want to get it over with… I truly believe that if I go through it over and over again I’ll figure what exactly happened…and why….” Link said as he ranked his fingers through his blonde hair. He made a mental note to dye it brown after the first session. He was going to go through three of them. The number “three” bothered him all together. Link looked down at his hands as the interviewer made sure all possible things were recording. Link wanted to prove a lot to many people and he knew only he could represent his friends. All of his friends. A shudder went up Link’s spine as he looked at his marked hand. He didn’t like the sight of i and decided to switch his attention to the rookie . “I’m sorry but I didn’t catch your name.” The man slightly turned red at his mistake. 

“R-Right… You can call me Mr. Lawrence.” He offered Link an apologetic smile. The nervous teen relaxed a bit and nodded his thanks. He was happy that Mr. Lawrence wasn’t like the rest of them. Society tended to give him rather disgusted looks now. His optimism soon faded as he reminded himself that the man was only using him to further his career. Even after two years since the incident he was still the biggest news story that would still get any attention. This interview would only benifit the rooke if it went smoothly. Link could only hope that through this spectacle he could provide the answers everyone wanted. Yet he knew not all the answers would be acceptable let alone make sense to the majority of the public. 

Some things could not be understood by people on the outside.

Eventually Mr. Lawrence settled when everything was set. “Are you ready to begin, Link?” The blond-haired boy hesitated, but he nodded. “Good... Session 1…Now, let’s start from the beginning... Your name is Locke Hartel, correct? However you prefer the name Link. As of now you’re 17-years-old. Is all that true?” asked Mr. Lawrence.

“All of that is correct, Mr. Lawrence.”

“Great. Now, Link, can you tell me what you think is the beginning? What do you think lead up to the incident that affected your club in the Hyrulean Academy...?”

“The beginning…well in all honestly… anything from that ‘timeline’ could be considered 'the beginning'… Even the incident itself can be 'the beginning’.” Link went quiet again taking another sip of water. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. There was so much to say and he wanted to everything to come out at one. Despite the desperate urge he knew he had to control himself. To hold back from the pressure that welled in his chest. He realized then that he had to take it slowly with as much detail as possible.

In the end, this was for himself and his friends.

Link noticed Mr. Lawrence waiting on him and he continued “I know you want an answer… So here it is... I think the beginning is when I met my best friend... His name was Gage Dragmire…” Link smirked. “We came to know him as Ganon…" --the smirk turned bitter before fading. Replaced with a look of regret-- "Dear goddess I hate saying his name…”


	2. Session 1 Chapter 2: Best Friends

It was a sunny day in Lettermen Elementary. It was lunchtime for the students and many of them were either playing various games or eating lunch. Locke was one of the few children who were playing kick ball in their little assigned area. Locke was having the time of his life. As a 9-year-old, he was proud of himself for being the best pitcher and kicker in his class. Whenever his friends were choosing teams he was always chosen first.  Today was another good day as he made his friend miss the first two pitches. Locke focused on his third pitch. He wanted to strike him out. If he could pull it off then he’d reach 3 outs in a row. It would be new record for him. The young boy grinned as the number 3 was something he considered his lucky number. With a gleam of determination in his bright blue eyes he pitched the ball to the opposing team's kicker.  His smirk fell apart as the boy managed to kick the ball. The soccer ball soared over the children’s heads. To add more weight to Locke’s sinking heart the kick lead to a home run. Locke bitterly watched his friend take all three plates then jump onto home plate where a victory dance followed. However he took notice of some of the other kids’ faces as they twisted into dread. 

Locke followed their gaze and realized that the ball was now in fifth grader territory. If there was one thing that was made clear it was the fact that the fifth-graders dominated all the grades below them. Any defiance would not be tolerated.

“Great job, Rob! We won’t be able to play for the rest of the lunch!" Said one of the kid's on Locke's team.

"We just started too!” Shouted another kid this time on the opposing team.

“How about I just walk over and ask for the ball?” Locke suggested. Rob shook his head in disbelief at the suggestion. It was blasphemy.

“They’re fifth-graders! There’s no way you can deal with them!” Rob exclaimed. Locke shrugged and made his way toward the fifth graders’ game of kickball. The group of children followed him. Their gazes ranging from reverence, terror, and disbelief. He could hear Rob say “He’s either really brave or really stupid…” The young blonde kid just rolled his eyes and approached the intimidating batch of older children. The older kids looked at him. Some gave him cold stares, others smirked at him.

“What are you doing here kiddo?” Asked one of them.

“Um, the ball the kid there is holding belongs to my class” Locke responded as he pointed at a tall boy. The 10-year-old he was referring to was the tallest among them. He’s skin was tanned and his hair was naturally red with a tint of orange. It was a strange combination to Locke, but he knew better than to comment on it. The kid stared at Locke with his intense amber eyes. Locke raked his small fingers through his blonde hair. The stare was uneasy and he didn’t know why, he wasn’t so easily frightened. “So...” he continued, “can I have it back..?”

“Heh,” snickered the 10-year-old. “Sure, kiddo…Take it!” He yelled as he threw the ball straight at Locke. Caught off guard Locke managed to catch the ball. However the brute force knocked the air out of his lungs as the impact caused him to fall back and hit the ground. High-fives went around to the amber eyed child. Locke could feel his face go red with anger. He made strained noises as he stood. The fifth grades watched as the lower grade kid picked himself up. Locke was hunched over, but a glare of vexation was revealed as he lifted his head. That daring glare made contact with uncaring amber eyes. Quick as lightning Locke dropped the ball. It bounced once and when it was up a few inches above the ground Locke gave it a mighty kick. With dead accuracy the ball was launch and it hit the fifth-grader. Locke's adversary stumbled back and fell onto the ground. The older kids went pale seeing their leader fall before their eyes. Locke panted, but a victorious smirk form. However the smug look was replaced with one of confusion as he heard the last thing he expected from the red-haired kid: laughter. Good-humor laughter!

The older kid got on his feet. One his face was a big grin as if he had received the newest and shiniest toy. “Whoa! Good one kid! You got some power!” The amber-eyed child walked over. Locke was weary, but relaxed as the older kid put out his right hand in a kind gesture. “What’s your name kid?” Locke shook his hand. 

“Link.” He stated with a smile. Something clicked then he realized his mistake. “Uh, Locke I mean." He corrected. "My name is..Locke..” Locke was startled by his mistake. It had never happened before.

“Is it Locke or Link? Personally Link sounds cooler. Anyway I’m Gage." One of Gage's friends put his arm around him.

“Actually he’s Ganon the Cannon.” The older kid said as the rest of kids laughed in a good-humor manner.

“Heh, yea. Just call me Ganon. I doubt I’m ever getting rid of the name.” He said as he playfully gave a punch to his friend’s shoulder.

“I suppose you can call me, Link. It does sound cooler.”  In fact that was the truth. "Link" seemed to fit him better than Locke. Link then remember why he came over in the first place. “Well, can my friends and I have our ball back now?" 

“I got a better idea.” Replied Ganon as he turned to his pals. “Trust me on this,” he turned once again to Link, “Why don’t you bring your friends over and you can play with us.” Link was surprised by the invitation and he grinned. The grin didn’t last long as he realized a flaw in the invite. 

“Uh, were not allowed to be in others’ assigned areas..” Link  said. Ganon laughed.

“Who cares about the rules? I honestly don’t. I make my own choices. Will you?” He said, a gleam of mischief in his odd amber eyes.

\---

“What did you say?” Mr. Lawrence urged.

“I said yes of course...” Link said as he sipped water. “It’s a shame really... if only I had known back then…I doubt it would’ve changed the end result, but would’ve made things easier…”

“Easier? What do you mean?”

“I would’ve grown to hate him I suppose…I don’t regret being his friend though. Maybe I would do that meeting over again and not change a thing… I don’t know… If anything I just wish I had known more back then. It’s hard to walk in the dark… A little light would have been far better than feeling the walls…”

“I see…” Mr. Lawrence mumbled as he wrote notes. “What happened after that?”

“Well, we played kick ball with those fifth-graders. They were all great people actually… Full of ‘wisdom.’” –he said making air quotes- “Anyway, we got in trouble for not being in our areas. It was silly though.  Detentions here and there but we were always with friends so it never mattered. Ganon and I were such a team. As the school year was drawing to a close we ended up as pretty good friends. We had each other’s back. I bet if we were normal we’d still be ‘double trouble’.” Link looked down at his mark again. He traced the triangle on the bottom right. There were three triangles that formed a large single one. Link then touched the one on the bottom left. Last he hesitantly touched the triangle on the top. He looked back at Mr. Lawrence. “Then I got the realization that by the end of the year Ganon was going to a different school… That devastated me honestly. He was like my older brother or something…He was going to a private school. The Hyrulean Academy.  Not anyone could get in…” Link smirked in spite of himself. “I did though…”

\---

“What?!” Exclaimed Ganon. Link grinned as the two boys were on the way to the park near the Letterman school. 

“You heard me man! I got in! My mom actually applied me there and oh my lucky stars I got in! My mom was so happy! She wants me there immediately!”

“You’re telling me that next school session it’s going to be you and me against the world??” Ganon cheered.

“Exactly! Our adventures don’t have to stop!” Link said happily. The two friends arrived at the park. Setting their backpacks down at a picnic table of sorts they pulled out supplies for a medieval role play. Each got swords and shields. Both items were custom made. “Since this is our first time, what do you have in mind?” Link asked as he looked to Ganon.

“I was thinking a classic good vs evil story.” He answered. Ganon lifted his sword high up. Inspiration from within propelled him to describe his ideas and bring them to life. “I say I’m Lord Ganondorf! Prince of Darkness! Ruler from… um… the Northwest? Yeah! I’m the figure they claim as the ‘Desert Man’ in this land!” Link lifted his sword and shield and joined in.

“Oh yeah, Prince of Darkness? I’m Link! Hero of this land! The Hero of Time as they named me! I hail from a …hm.. oh! From a forest isolated from the realm! However I have come in their time of need. It is my destiny to slay the beast!” With a battle cry from Ganon the young children fought with their wooden swords. They laughed as they tumbled and stumbled while they fought.

It was game from their imagination.  They never thought it real. Not even when their marks glowed at one point revealing themselves for the first time. They were having too much fun to notice. When they sat in the grass, tired from their play, the marks went away. They wouldn’t return until a special young “maiden” came into their lives.


	3. Session 1 Chapter 3: The New Girl

Mr. Lawrence allowed Link to finish up the water bottle. Link set the empty plastic bottle on the table and took a new one from the side. Instead of opening it, he held the cool drink in his hands to ease his nervousness. Letting out a sigh he nodded. Mr. Lawrence caught the signal and gave the young man a small smile. “Link, can you explain what exactly is the Hyrulean Academy?”

“Well, it's an exclusive school that teaches Pre-K to 12th grade…”

“Really? By exclusive, do you mean only the wealthy can go?”

“Well, it would be a lie to say that most kids that went weren’t so damn rich. If you had the money, then yes, you’d have a better shot at attending. In my case, it was my grades that got them to accept me. They thought they could give me more of a challenge over there, so that I’d be prepared for the future.”

“So was Ganon rich?” Mr. Lawrence asked. Link gave it a thought before answering.

“Well, not really… He was middle class like me at the time.”

“So, he was smart?” Again, Link needed to think.

“I wouldn’t exactly say he was a straight-A student. He was fairly decent in his grades. Not too high, not to low, I’d say pretty average… I think it was his athletic ability that got him in. You know how schools get crazy for sports."

“I see your point.” Mr. Lawrence stated as he jot down a few notes. Link couldn’t guess what exactly he was writing down. He had all forms of technology to watch/hear his every movement. Link supposed that, being a rookie, he wanted to catch everything. No details were going to be left behind. 

“Now, how long were you two in the school before the new girl came?” For a second Link forgot how to breath. It was finally time to talk about the “catalyst”. The thing, or girl, that changed the friendship between him and Ganon. Despite that he felt no hate toward her. She was just another unfortunate person involved with the incident. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to protect her with his life. 

“Let’s see…we were in the school for about five years… At the time I was in ninth-grade and Ganon was in tenth.”

“So how old were you two?”

“I was 15 at the time, and Ganon was 16…”

“And the girl?” Link thought her sweet face with her innocent smile. Her special giggle echoed in his mind.

“She just turned 15 I think…”

“What was it like seeing her for the first time?” Mr. Lawrence questioned. Link smiled at the easy memory.

“She was so beautiful and delicate…” he started in a day dream tone. Then that ocean of a pain his eyes returned. His voice was a whisper as he said to himself in a dark forlorn manner, “Dear goddess, why did someone like her have to suffer…?”

\---

Being as smart as he was, Link shared a few classes with Ganon. Link had the opportunity to skip a few classes in order to take on more advance classes for his grade. The chemistry class was a mix of 9th and 10th graders. Their teacher, Mr. Dagna, was a kind elderly man who was rumored to have been a part of some secret organization overseas. Link knew better, but Ganon humored the idea often. So when Mr. Dagna stated he had a surprise for them, Ganon whispered to Link that he was about to reveal that he was a crime lord looking for hostages. Link rolled his eyes, but snickered despite himself.

“Settle down class.” The teacher said. As soon as the children relaxed, he began once more, “We have a new student that will be joining us!” The children that sat in arranged groups began to whisper excitingly. For every table, there were three people seated. Link and Ganon had no third member, but they liked it that way. They were a two man team. 

“Dude, a new student? In the middle of the year too…” Chimed Ganon. Link shrugged. Ganon patted his back, his amber eyes gleamed with excitement. “You think he’s gonna be cool?” Before Link could give his opinion the teacher spoke up again.

“Come inside, it’s alright.” He turned to his students. “Make her feel welcomed.”

“Her?” repeated the two man team in unison. 

Then she walked in. 

A young petite girl walked into the room. Adorned in the Hyrulean Academy uniform, she stood in front of the class. The uniform for girls consisted of a white collared shirt with a blue vest over it. Her blue plaid skirt was just above her knees. Her black Mary Jane shoes were shiny and contrasted well against her short white socks. Link was speechless as he looked past her uniform. She wore a golden necklace that glistened with such elegance. Her skin was light, and her figure was slender. She had long blonde hair that past the middle of her back. It was her eyes that captivated him the most. They were a lovely shade of blue. The girl swept her gaze across the whole room.

“Hello there,” her voice was so soothing, so fitting for her beauty, “My name is Zelda Harkinian.” The class responded with a mix of cheerful hellos, shy waves, and embarrassing speechlessness. 

“Miss Harkinian, how about you sit with Mr. Dragmire and Mr. Hartel.” said the teacher as he gestured to the table in the back. Zelda, with a pleasant smile, nodded and walked down the aisle. Ganon quickly fixed up his uniform while Link raked his fingers through his hair. Zelda sat down in the empty seat and put her book bag down.

“Now class, take the remainder of the period to study your notes and catch up on any missed info. Mr. Dragmire and Mr. Hartel, please help Miss Harkinian catch up on what we’ve done so far." The boys nodded as their teacher walked over to a student who needed help. Ganon took no time jumping into a conversation.

“Hey there Zelda! My name is Gage, but please call me Ganon! And this guy here is Locke, but we call him Link.” He placed an arm around his buddy. 

Link grinned, “Hey there, so you’re new?” Zelda nodded gleefully.

“Nice to meet you two! Yes, I moved here recently. My parents applied me to this school and well, here I am. Is it as tough as they say it is?” She said quite nervously. Ganon waved his hand a bit.

“Psh, it’s alright. If you got the brains like Link over here, then this school will be a piece of cake! Right, Link?” Link blushed slightly.

“Oh come on, I’m not that smart...” Link stated humbly. Ganon just clapped his hands together.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine here. I guess we can start on the notes.”

“Nah, I’m not really in the mood… The move was tiring, my brain needs a break.” Zelda said slightly embarrassed. Link patted her shoulder.

“It’s alright. As long as we pretend that we’re doing work, we can keep talking.” He said winking. Zelda giggled. Link felt his cheeks heat up a bit, he felt a few butterflies in his stomach too.

“So where are you coming from?” Ganon asked.

“Zelda, uh I rather not say…” She said quietly as she rubbed her left hand absentmindedly. She quickly changed the subject. “So I’m guessing your friends?” The boys grinned and gave each other a look and nodded toward Zelda.

“My buddy, Link and I have been friends ever since the fifth grade, or fourth. I’m a grade higher than him.”

“Heh, yeah. He’s in 10th and I’m in 9th.”

“Oh I'm in ninth too!” Zelda stated gleefully. Then three of them chatted about simple things like favorite foods, what kind of music they were into, and the latest buzz in the media. Eventually, the topic of what they like to do for fun came up.

“Link and I are actually actors!” Ganon said with pride. “I personally feel like I’m better since in our usual run through I’m the bad guy. You know what they say, the greater the villain, the greater the hero and their triumph. If I didn’t act so sinister then Link would look like a fish out of water.” Link chuckled in agreement.

“Actors huh? That’s so exciting!” Awe danced in Zelda’s wonderful blue eyes. Ganon had to scratch the back of his head. 

“Yea, but we’re nothing too great.” He stammered. Link smiled.

“What about you, Zelda? What’s your passion?” Zelda twirled a lock her blonde hair.

“Well, I love photography…”

“Really?” It was Link’s turn to be in awe. “Like what kind?”

“All kinds, actually. I love taking pictures of pets, action, and even architecture. I especially love landscapes, fashion, and portraits!” Zelda put her hands over her heart and smiled blissfully. I want to capture all of the world’s beauty. I want to travel the world and capture those poetic moments in time. I want a photo to capture every essence of it, I want people to look at it and imagine themselves there. I want my photos to be displayed among the best of the best! That’s my dream at least…” She hid her shy smile. Her words spoke to the boys on a deep level. They faced each other and nodded. They knew they had the same idea.

“Zelda,” Link said. Her blue eyes made contact with his. “We would be happy if you joined our club!”

“Club?” she asked. The idea intrigued her.

“That’s right! You see, Link and I founded The Hero’s Legacy Club!” Ganon said with pride.

“Oh really now? What’s it about?” Just then the bell rang signaling lunch. The students began rising.

“How about we tell you on the way to get lunch? You’ll get to meet everyone!” Link offered. The boys walked ahead leading Zelda who was smiling. 

\---

“The Hero’s Legacy?”

“Yes…We always thought it was pretend…By the goddess, why couldn’t it stay that way?”


End file.
